The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gentiana makinoi and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Marsha’. ‘Marsha’ represents a new Gentian, an herbaceous perennial grown for landscape use.
The inventor discovered the new cultivar, ‘Marsha’, as a chance seedling that arose in a cultivated area in his nursery in Reeuwijk, The Netherlands in the summer of 1996. Although the parentage is unknown, the characteristics of the new cultivar and the presence of the cultivar Gentiana makinoi ‘Royal Blue’ (not patented) in the nursery suggest that ‘Royal Blue’ is a likely parent.
The new cultivar ‘Marsha’ was selected for its unique characteristics in plant habit combined with the deep blue flowers that are characteristic of ‘Royal Blue’. In comparison to ‘Royal Blue’, ‘Marsha’ has thicker stems, a more compact growth habit, and a plant height that is shorter and more uniform.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by taking stem cuttings in Reeuwijk, The Netherlands in 1996. ‘Marsha’ was subsequently propagated by tissue culture. It has been determined by propagation both by stem cuttings and tissue culture that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.